Earlier in the traditional joint family setup, the children of the family were seen as the primary elderly caregivers. Now we are witnessing disintegration of this setup in many homes. With kids moving abroad or another city, Indian society is witnessing a major surge in the number of nuclear families.

Although this new family setup is liberating for the youth, it is the older adults that are sadly seeming to fall behind, feeling lonely and neglected, getting trapped in the ‘empty nest syndrome’. This new setup of life along with other socio-economic factors like retirement, financial dependency and lack of something to look forward to, give rise to varied sort of mental health disorders among the older adults.

Some of the most common mental illnesses that the elderly tend to fall prey to are depression, mood disorders, psychosis, dementia and anxiety disorders among others. A majority of these mental illnesses can easily be treated if timely diagnosis and treatment are sought.